Reading some three-part a cappella music, I see "TAG for Three-part voices" above the staff. Any idea what that might mean?

19 is the measure number. There are 27 measures total in the song, so this is the start of the last 8 measures. There's an alternate ending for two voices that has written above the staff: "TAG for Two-part voices".

2 Answers
2

Tags are idiomatic to barbershop music (which is typically four a cappella voices), and refer to the ending chords of a song, usually coincident with the last line of lyrics.

Sometimes singers will get together for the sole purpose of singing tags, since they are easier to learn than an entire piece of music and usually consist of harmonic cadences that are very fun to sing.

in that example? Seems odd to see that at the beginning of the piece.
–
Kristina LopezNov 23 '12 at 20:07

Like NReilingh said, this is an arrangement for the ending section of a piece, which means the coda. But for some reason it has been published separately, unless the number 19 in the box is a measure number.
–
Wheat WilliamsNov 23 '12 at 21:04

I thought about 19 being the measure but it looks like the beginning of the song and is the opening line of the song so I hazarded a guess . . .
–
Kristina LopezNov 23 '12 at 21:09

Sorry for not specifying this earlier: 19 is the measure number. There are 27 measures total in the song, so this is the start of the last 8 measures. There's an alternate ending for two voices that has written above the staff: "TAG for Two-part voices".
–
Adam MonsenNov 24 '12 at 4:25